For anyone interested in this matter: I removed the hilt from the tang to inspect it closer. The hilt definitely seems to be comprised of at least two distinct kinds of materials: 1) a dark wood with a lustrous, rich grain; 2) smaller elements comprised of what I previously interpreted as a lighter-coloured wood, one with no distinct grain. The two parts have been joined together with glue in an intricate pattern. The hilt cup had been glued to the hilt with some sort of fibrous white adhesive. I scraped away the remnants of the adhesive on both. This revealed that the hilt cup is comprised entirely of some sort of whitish-coloured material that has been coated with what seems to be a dark-coloured lacquer/shellac. The same material is also visible in the composite hilt, suggesting hilt and hilt cup are contemporaneous. I don't know what this whitish material is: I tested it with a red hot needle; the needle went in and the smell I interpret as being earthy/woody. By contrast, I did the same test on an two resin-cast keris hilts: both gave off a strong plastic smell that was distinct from the earthy/woody smell. I also did the needle test on the bone hilt of a mandau, and on a deer antler: in both cases, the hot needle could hardly be pushed in, and the resultant smells were again distinct from the earthy/woody smell. So perhaps it is some kind of soft(ish), light-coloured wood (but if so, I can't see any grain).
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